Analyzing Javanese Proverbs Translation in Relay Translation Context

This study examines the translation techniques employed in rendering Javanese proverbs into Indonesian and English and their impact on the quality of the translations. This study used a qualitative design. Four professionals participated in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to determine, analyze, and validate the data. They identified the translation techniques and decided their impact on the translation quality. Data were taken from “Butir-Butir Budaya Jawa” book which contains Javanese proverbs and their translations in Indonesian and English. We identified 21 of Javanese proverbs. The findings indicate that eleven translation techniques were applied in rendering Javanese proverbs into Indonesian and English. They were established equivalent: 62 (59.04%), explicitation: 14 (13.33%), paraphrase: 13 (12.38%), addition: 5 (4.76%), modulation and pure borrowing: 3 (2.85%), generalization, literal, transposition, and compensation: 1 (0.95%). Established equivalent, explicitation, paraphrase, addition, modulation, transposition, generalization, and compensation have contributed to the accuracy, acceptability, and readability of Javanese proverbs translation. On the other hand, literal translation has resulted in lower accuracy, reduced acceptability, and moderate readability. Pure borrowing has made the translation less acceptable, while reduction has resulted in lower accuracy. The implication of this study for translators is that literal, reduction, and pure borrowing techniques are not recommended due to they have not contributed to the accuracy, acceptability, and readability of translation but they contributed to less accurate, less acceptable and medium readability of translation.